Meth-addled mail thief ‘harmed numerous victims’
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A man who stole hundreds of pieces of mail to feed his addiction to methamphetamine was sentenced to federal prison Monday for a prolonged crime spree a prosecutor says ‘’harmed numerous victims.’’
Even the attorney representing 41-year-old Lonnie Ray Nelson concedes his client has a “serious, debilitating drug addiction’’ that has ‘‘impacted every aspect of his life.’’
In federal court Monday, a judge sentenced Nelson to three years and nine months in prison for theft of U.S. mail. Nelson was also ordered to pay restitution; the amount is to be determined. He pleaded guilty in January to a five-year felony.
“He is a serial mail thief,’’ assistant U.S. Attorney Clay Stiffler wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “His actions harmed numerous victims.’’
Deputies: Stolen mail found in stolen Jeep after chase
Nelson has an extensive criminal record, including 23 prior convictions. He was arrested in March 2023 following a high-speed chase along U.S. 131 in Kent County.
In the stolen vehicle he was driving, officers recovered all sorts of stolen mail – business checks, disability checks, loan applications and insurance documents.
“Nelson is a methamphetamine addict who steals mail to support himself and his addiction,’’ Stiffler wrote. “He primarily targeted mail containing business and personal checks and credit cards or credit card account information.’’
The checks he altered and cashed or sold for profit; the credit cards and information he fraudulently used or sold, Stiffler wrote.
Between November 2021 and March 2023, “he was caught stealing mail or in possession of stolen mail eight separate times.’’
One victim, who subsequently installed a security camera, captured someone matching Nelson’s description “pulling up to a row of mailboxes, opening them and going through them on multiple different occasions,’’ court records show.
Police caught up with Nelson in southern Kent County, driving a stolen Jeep. A high-speed chase ensued, with speeds on U.S. 131 reaching 110 mph. Spike strips disabled the fleeing Jeep; Nelson was arrested and booked into the Kent County Jail.
Inside the Jeep, officers recovered an estimated 90 pieces of stolen mail, most of which was taken from the Byron Center area. The stolen loot included nearly $51,000 in business checks, court records show.
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